Student Teams Tee Up for Round Three of the FedEx Junior Business Challenge

July 2, 2019

Today, FedEx and the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) hosted the third round of the FedEx Junior Business Challenge.

Three teams from JA of the Upper Midwest teed up to present their businesses to the panel of judges. 

Team EcoSlurp’s eco-friendly, biodegradable straw alternative maintains the functionality and quality of a single-use plastic straw without the waste.

Team Spitwood specializes in custom wooden swords modeled after those in TV shows and video games, including The Legend of Zelda and Game of Thrones.

Team WriteCase created a laptop case with built-in, reusable writing surfaces made of erasable and customizable panels. The double-sided panels are convenient, modular, and eco-friendly.

Today’s panel of judges included two-time PGA TOUR Tournament winner Kevin Streelman, National Football League (NFL) tight end Kyle Rudolph of the Minnesota Vikings, Hed Cycling CEO and FedEx Small Business Grant Winner Anne Hed, and PGA TOUR Chief of Tournament and Competition Officer Andy Pazder. WCCO-TV Sports Director Mike Max served as emcee for the event.  

The event kicked off with a trade fair, where all three teams set up booths to display their business and products. Next, each team presented its products to the panel of judges, followed by a Q&A. After conferring, the judges selected a winning team to advance to the final round of the FedEx Junior Business Challenge at the TOUR Championship in Atlanta on August 21, 2019.

Team EcoSlurp won over the judges with its presentation and product. The team will join Team Our Story from JA Chisholm Trail (Texas, U.S.) and Team Simplex Lanyard from JA of Southwest New England (Connecticut, U.S.) in Atlanta. The top team in Atlanta will secure a $75,000 donation for its JA local area from FedEx. We can’t wait to see all three winning teams together!